Welcome to Storybrooke
by apples-a-day
Summary: Emma Swan has a 3-month old kid and nowhere to go. A stormy evening takes her to Storybrooke, and a new life.
1. A New Life

**Okay! I've been meaning to get this one up, but my curiosity was piqued by Orange is the New Black.**

**Once again, this is a continuation from one of my SQW drabbles that's getting turned into a longer fic!**

**For those of you who haven't read it before, please enjoy!**

* * *

Emma Swan kept staring at the closed door in front of her, the baby in her arms babbling incoherently, unaware of what was going on, just trying to play with his mother's hair.

This was her last option and they turned her down. She was truly alone, fresh out of the correctional facility, with a 3-month old child. She hadn't even given him a name yet.

She covered the child as best as she could while she made her way to the bug in the pouring rain. Where would she go? She couldn't very well raise a child on the back of her car. As she strapped the child into his seat, blubbering happily at his mother, she tried to figure out where she could go.

New York? Maybe the crazy city life might offer positive things to both of them. Though she had no idea how she'd fare with the violence. Emma went to the driver's side, setting herself down and pulling out the map from the passenger's side. They had been travelling for a little over a week now, first on a bus from Phoenix to the east, where her car had been safely stored for the past number of months, and now they were on the outskirts of Boston. Although Boston could offer them a nice life, Emma never really liked the place. It brought up bad memories from one of her foster families that she'd rather not have to relive every time she made her way downtown.

The blonde traced the path on the map to New York City, seeing where they had to go. Simple enough route, now it was time to go. She decided she'd at least visit, and then see where they could go. It could be their first vacation, she reasoned, though she had no idea how she'd pay for it. Well, she had found a stack of money hidden in the glove compartment of the car, a last parting gift from Neal she thought bitterly, and though she wouldn't feel one ounce of guilt from using it, she didn't want to blow it off all at once. She now had someone else to think of.

Emma looked in the rearview mirror at her child, a smile on her face. "Ready kid?"

The baby babbled happily in response, and Emma started the car, ready for a new life.

* * *

Darn the weather. Darn the rain and darn the idiot that had made these signs so damn confusing. She was pretty sure she was headed the wrong way, but the pouring rain and darkness did little to confirm or deny anything. She would just have to hope the next town had a hotel she could stop at, because with this rain she wasn't going anywhere.

Emma saw a sign looming closer, and tried to get a glimpse of what it said, but the rain was pounding too hard, so she just pressed ahead, her kid sleeping in the backseat, as she made her way into a small sleepy little town with a clock that didn't work.

As she came upon Main Street, Emma saw the glowing sign. "Granny's Bed and Breakfast huh?" She muttered as she read the sign. "Better than nothing I suppose."

Emma was tired from the drive and the storm, so right now all she wanted was a bed and a roof over her head. She parked her yellow bug at the miniature parking lot and got the sleeping baby out, making sure he was safely tucked into her jacket before she made her way out into the rain and headed inside the B&B

Her hair, held up in a ponytail, was drenched by the time she went inside, the rest of her clothes faring the same fate. As she looked up, she felt like she had grown an extra head as she faced a young woman and an old lady, who Emma supposed was Granny. The pair were looking at her strangely, and neither said a word of welcome.

Emma decided to take the first step. "Hi, is the B&B open?"

The younger woman with red streaks in her hair came back to her senses and flashed a smile. "Yeah! I'm Ruby, and this here's Granny. How long will you be needing a room?"

The blonde smiled in return at the introduction. "Emma. And just for a day, I didn't want to keep driving in the middle of the storm with my kid."

The two workers now saw that the newcomer had a baby in her arms, sleeping peacefully while having been spared from the brunt of the storm by his mother's jacket.

Granny smiled fondly. "That's quite alright, we'll get your room set up soon enough. Welcome to Storybrooke!'

Emma gave her a tired smile. "Thanks."

* * *

Regina was having a hell of a morning.

Her alarm clock, after 19 years of faithful service, didn't alert her this morning that she had to wake up, so she had to do her entire morning routine in a rush. What's worse was that she didn't even have time to prepare coffee, as her need to look presentable outbid her need for caffeine, as she could get it at Granny's.

Of course all her effort had gone to waste as soon as she stepped outside into a rainstorm. In her hurry to get ready she hadn't even looked outside or even bothered to check the weather so she practically went outside blind. Her hair was now a mess, and her suit was drenched before she went back inside to get a jacket.

As if all of that wasn't enough, imagine her surprise when she comes in and finds a stranger. A stranger in Storybrooke. It had happened only once before and Regina did her best to forget that one time. The blonde sitting on the stool was chatting amiably with Ruby. Every now and then the blonde would glance up and to the side, as if checking for something.

Regina followed the blonde's sight as best as she could, and saw the loathed Mary Margaret playing with a baby. Wait, a baby? Could it be? Had Snow's child finally been found and had been cursed this entire time as well? The impromptu theory was squished after a few minutes when the waitress walked over to her.

"Morning Madam Mayor! Crazy weather huh?"

Regina nodded slightly, her attention focused on the strangers. After a beat, she pointed with her chin at the blonde, and asked, "Who is that?"

"Oh, that's Emma. She and her kid got lost in the storm and she's going to be staying here until the rain dies out."

So it was the stranger's child, interesting. "She's staying at the Inn?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes ma'am. Do you want your usual?"

"Yes, thank you, Miss Lucas." The brunette sauntered over to where the now named blonde sat, staring fondly as her child interacted with the teacher.

Emma hadn't noticed the older woman make her way closer, so she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard, "I don't believe we've met before."

As the blonde regained her composure, she did a quick once over of the brunette before she extended a hand and smiled. "I'm Emma. You are?"

"Regina Mills." She shook the other woman's hand and then as they let go, she glanced over at the child. "And he's yours?"

Emma nodded, not saying a word.

Seeing she wasn't going to get more information willingly, she prompted for the answer herself. "What's his name?"

The blonde faltered here. "Um- I haven't really come up with one yet. I know it's bad, he's 3 months old and still nameless, but I just don't know what to name him."

Regina tried to push the shock back. She decided to shift the topic a bit. "Are you staying here long?"

Emma shook her head. "Just until the storm dies out. Then heading back out again."

"Oh? Where to?"

"No idea, probably New York, I've always wanted to visit."

"So this is a trip then? Do you live up north?" Regina was beyond late to work by now, but she felt herself sitting down as she continued to speak to the mysterious stranger who had arrived. Plus, it wasn't as if she would be reprimanded by anyone, she was the Mayor after all. Everyone feared and respected her, as it should be. Though there were times where Regina wished the fear part wasn't as prominent.

Emma chuckled, shaking her head. "Nah, you could say I'm in transition currently. Trying to find a new home for me and my kid."

She was a single mother then. Regina felt a pang at thinking of the woman alone against the world trying to protect her child from the evils in the world. "Well, you could always stay here. It would certainly be safer for you and your child than New York."

The thought had crossed Emma's mind. What the other woman said certainly made sense. But- "There aren't any places for rent. I tried to look in this morning's paper, but from what I understand, everyone's been living in the same place for as long as anyone can remember."

Regina nodded absentmindedly. Before she could say anything, Mary Margaret made her way to where the two were sitting, handing the child back to her.

"It was really nice to meet the two of you, but now I have to go get ready for my class. I hope to see you again!" Mary Margaret waved to them, before saying a small hello to Regina, who sent a frigid response in return.

As soon as the door closed, Regina heard the blonde say something to her, but she didn't hear it. "I'm sorry dear, I didn't catch that."

"Do you want to meet my kid?" She turned her body so the little boy was now facing the brunette, "Hey kid, meet Regina."

The little baby mumbled happily and Regina gingerly took the small child into her arms. Seeing the baby reach out to grab her made her heart melt. An idea started forming in her mind. She had been looking for a child, and her house was too big just for her...perhaps she would accept.

"My house is big enough."

Emma was sure she heard wrong. Looking up from where she was watching her kid play around with Regina's hair, she made eye contact with the other woman. "What?"

"My house, it's too big for me by myself, and if you want, you could stay."

"Oh no," Regina braced herself for another round of disappointment. "I couldn't impose."

The brunette was surprised. She had been expecting something akin to disgust or even fear. The young woman, who Regina realized looked more like a teen than anything, was probably just unsure of her life now with a child and how to deal with everything. Certainly Regina was curious about how the young woman came to be in this situation, but wouldn't press now.

"Well, at the very least I insist you come by for dinner tonight." Regina wasn't sure what brought on this immense need to help the young woman. Was she only helping her for the child? Yes, that was definitely it. At the very least, it was what she told herself.

"I- thank you, we'd love that."

Regina smiled, and gave her the address to her house, with instructions on how to get there from the Diner. Emma accepted it graciously, and soon she parted the Diner, now with her order.

After Regina had left, Ruby came back to where Emma was sitting. "How did you do that?"

Emma looked confused at the brunette. "Do what?"

"You actually managed to get on the Mayor's good side, and she smiled at you!"

"Wait, I thought Mary Margaret was a teacher?"

"No! Regina Mills is the Mayor."

"Oh! Didn't realize." Emma shrugged, she didn't understand why this was a big deal.

Of course, Ruby answered her unspoken query for her. "She doesn't really like change. We think that's why no one ever comes here. She kinda rules with an iron fist."

Emma blanched. Well then, she had probably just made a fool of herself at least a dozen times with that small exchange.

* * *

Regina reminded herself that this was just a simple dinner, but a small part of her wanted to convince the blonde to stay here. She didn't fully understand why she wanted a child for her own, it wasn't as if she'd had stellar parenting at the hands of Cora, but regardless, she hoped that maybe a child would offer her some happiness and respite from the monotonous life in this small town.

As the doorbell rang, Regina made sure everything was prepared before going to answer the door.

Dinner had been pleasant. Small talk mostly. Emma had apologized for not knowing Regina was the mayor, to which the brunette brushed off, saying it wasn't of consequence, insisting she could call her Regina, no special title required.

There were some moments of silence, and some moments where Emma was just trying to get her kid to to eat. Regina had prepared a special meal for the child, something Emma greatly appreciated.

After dinner, they had retired to the study, where Emma held her sleeping child. Regina offered her something to drink, and Emma accepted some coffee, saying cider was too strong for her, plus she had to drive back to the Inn.

Regina kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to press, but companionship in the form of a child and a friend seemed like a welcome reprieve for the once Evil Queen.

After a few seconds of silence, Regina decided to breach a more personal topic. She had always been curious, demanding answers to puzzles, and the conundrum that was Emma was baffling her.

"Don't you have any family or friends that can help you?"

Regina thought Emma wouldn't answer, but was surprised when the blonde shook her head in the negative. Though the blonde didn't leave it at that.

"I know I must look like a terrible parent." She took a deep breath as she continued. "I won't be winning any parenting awards, but I just couldn't give him away. I promised myself I wouldn't. No matter the challenges and obstacles were ahead, I'd power through for him."

Regina's heart ached for the blonde. She wished her own mother had been so devoted to her. She cleared her throat and then decided to persist once more. "Well, if you're willing to have a friend help, my offer still stands. As you can see I wasn't exaggerating about the size of my home, so living comfortably would not be a problem. I don't wish to pressure you, but I want you to know that this is an option for both you and your child."

"Regina, I couldn't afford to help you pay for this house-" Emma was sure she might have enough for some months, but who would hire an ex-convict single-mother in a small town? She'd be run out of town before they'd even consider accepting her.

"Nonsense, I do not require money."

Emma was sure there would be a catch. She had learnt the hard way that nothing in life was free, and no one ever was kind for the sake of it. "Then what would you want?"

Regina thought about it for a while. A slice of the truth wouldn't hurt perhaps. Her strong cider was making her tongue loose; she'd have to be careful or else more dangerous revelations might come through. "Companionship. I don't really have friends in this town, they all would rather think me first as a Mayor than a friend. And" here Regina could feel a small blush creeping up as she just kept talking, fueled by the cider. "For the past while, I've been curious as to what it would be like to have a child."

Emma just blinked at the brunette, surprised at the forwardness of the confession. She was even more surprised that her lying detector didn't ping at all. Maybe she could give a chance to the brunette. After all, it wasn't like she herself had an abundance of friends. Perhaps being able to have someone helping her wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay, deal. One condition though."

Regina nodded, hoping she could meet it.

"Can you help me name my kid?"

* * *

"Mommy! Movie!" Little Henry was pulling at her hair, as if pulling on it hard enough would get her to go where he wanted.

Emma chuckled, "I haven't forgotten Henry! Let's go pick out your movie. What kind do you want to watch?"

"Adwenture!"

"Ad_ven_ture." Emma repeated, stressing on the V to teach Henry how to pronounce it properly. The little 4 year old only huffed in response. When they got to the movie section, Emma was disappointed to see a small selection of movies for children. Mainly only one movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Well, she supposed adventure did include the fairytale story, so she went to the front and rented it.

Henry, of course, wanted to watch it right when they got home, so Emma put him down on the couch, making himself comfortable as Emma tried to get the vhs tape in.

As soon as it was in, Emma rushed to the couch, nearly tackling the young boy in the process, getting both to laugh themselves silly, before the familiar intro song came on.

Regina, coming back from work, was exhausted. The never-ending pile of work seemed to claw at her, and she welcomed the reprieve of the end of the day, a chance to get to spend time with people she practically called family.

By the time she made her way inside the house, Regina could hear the distant sounds of a movie playing, followed by snippets of commentary by the bright young boy, and his mother's responses.

The two women had a wonderful companionship going as they shared the too-big house, and Emma, after much insistence, helped in her own way, whether it was to pay for the groceries, especially food for Henry, or even just helping to clean around the house.

The blonde was now town Sheriff in a surprising turn of events. Graham, the previous Sheriff, had at first been delighted to have a partner in crime, but he eventually realized that law enforcement just didn't suit him anymore, and was now doing some forest ranger/ living out in the wilderness thing that Regina barely understood.

Regina had also realized that her curse was weakening. She actually hadn't noticed it at first, but then her roommate had mentioned the clock in Main Street was working. The Mayor hadn't given it much thought, not noticing that the clock's movements, or lack thereof, were connected to everyone being frozen in time, but after four years, the changes were noticeable.

Perhaps it wasn't so obvious on the adults, but the children were growing up along with Henry, though it helped to keep the curse a secret, because she was sure the two other occupants of the house would notice if none of Henry's playmates aged.

Now, having put her outerwear away in the front closet, Regina was musing to herself as to what they could have for dinner when she heard some crying from Henry, and Emma trying to soothe him. Wanting to see if she could help, she made her way to the living room and saw Henry hiding behind a pillow and Emma trying to calm him down.

Trying to find the source of his fright, the brunette looked around the room, eyes landing on a familiar movie.

She could hardly stop the scoff that came out at seeing the movie loosely based on her and Snow White. Key word here was loosely, as she'd never have gone after the raven-haired woman for something so shallow as looks; really the nerve of whoever had made this atrocity.

But for now she had a child to comfort, and she made her way towards the Swan family.

"Come on Henry, she can't hurt you!" Emma was saying to Henry. Who was she talking about? "Plus, you'll see how the evil and mean queen is defeated! Good will win!"

Regina fell a pang of sadness. He was afraid of the Evil Queen.

Henry barely peeked out from behind his pillow shield, wide eyes staring at his mother. "Really?"

"Mhmm." Emma nodded.

"What if she comes here?" Naive Henry still believed story characters could come out of nowhere and harm him. Though in this case, Regina thought wryly, he was right. The subject of his fear was standing in that very room.

Emma smiled, seeing her child hiding behind his pillow again. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Henry peeked out again and saw Regina standing there. "'Gina!"

Emma turned and smiled as she saw the brunette, who made her way over to sit beside Henry.

"Will you also prote-cect me?"

Regina did a double take. She didn't know what to say. What could she say?

"Protect, Henry." Emma corrected him.

Regina felt Henry pulling on her shirt, waiting for an answer. She smiled at him as she nodded. "Of course Henry, I'll always protect you."

* * *

**And that was that!**

**A little snippet in the new life of Emma, Henry, and Regina!**

**This story will mix back and forth in times, I mean, it won't be a catalogue of Henry's different life in Storybrooke, just the important parts that make this story.**

**I'll have the brand new chapter up in a few days!**

**Thanks as always for the support and reviews!**


	2. The Theory

**And part 2!**

**This one will just show time passing, setting things up for the big plot with the curse and all that jazz.**

* * *

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Emma's sing-song voice trailed through the house as she tried to find her elusive child.

It was a stormy Saturday afternoon, so the mother and child were confined to the indoors. Regina was off at some important meeting, so it was just the two of them, playing an intensive game of hide-and-seek.

As she made her way through the house, she tried to figure out where an 8 year-old would be hiding. Seeing the door leading to the basement slightly ajar, she smirked. Her kid was good, but he still had a lot to learn. Slowly opening the door wider to slip through, she tried to make her way down the stairs as quietly as she could.

Emma had a silent cheer when she reached the base of the stairs and she still hadn't heard any shuffling, meaning she still had the upper hand. She tiptoed through the expansive area, wondering where Henry could've gone.

Suddenly she heard a page turn. Following the noise, which was repeated every now and then, she found him.

Henry was propped beside the washing machine, flipping through an old tome that Emma was sure was bigger than Henry's head.

"Y'know kid, the point of _hide_ and seek is that you need to hide so I don't find you, right?"

Henry looked up and flashed a grin. "I know, but I found this book and it looks cool! But it's kinda heavy."

Emma chuckled, going over to crouch in front of her son. "It does look kinda big. Where did you find it?"

He raised his arm and pointed his finger towards the back of the laundry room. "Back there. It was covered in dust and looks kinda old. But it's got pictures!"

She grinned at her son. It did look super old, leather-bound and was wider than it was taller. "Oh really? What's it about?"

"Fairytales! Look at the name of the book!" Henry closed the book and turned it to face her. There, in gold lettering embossed on the cover were the words 'Once Upon a Time'.

"Have you gotten very far in your reading, Henry?"

The young boy shook his head. "No, I've just been looking at the pictures."

"Well then, what say you and I read some of it together?"

"Okay!"

Emma let out a laugh at her kid's excitement. "Come on kid, last one to your room is a rotten egg!"

* * *

Regina could barely get inside the house with how giddy she was. Finally a meeting goes right for her. It was a rarity and she could hardly wait to share this with Emma and Henry.

The three had rapidly grown into a family. Of course it wasn't official or anything, neither did anyone really call it that, but it felt like a family to Regina, and it was more than she could've ever hoped for or imagined.

Although the fear that anyone would find out about the curse or break it nagged at her head, she didn't want to let that get in the way of her happiness. It had led to a few nightmares over the years, and right in the foreground of people who were appalled and disgusted with her actions was Emma, with Henry hiding behind her.

It was incredible how attached she was to the blonde. For so long she had believed that after Daniel, she wouldn't be able to care, or want to share her life with anyone, and yet here she was. She wouldn't admit any of this for the life of her, she didn't want to risk anything in case the blonde didn't feel the same way and decided to leave if things got weird with her proclamation.

So for now they were cohabiting, both acting like Henry's parents, although they had never settled on an affectionate name to give Regina.

Not hearing anything on the main floor, she quickly padded her way upstairs, eager to see them. Inching closer to Henry's room, she heard laughs and giggles.

Then she stopped a few feet short of the doorway, blood running cold at what she heard Emma say.

"'But you _shall_ have it. My gift to you is this happy, happy day. For tomorrow, my _real_ work begins.'"

Her mind went into automatic pilot as she forgot all her pretense and just burst into the room, slamming the partially closed door wide open.

Emma looked up from where she was lying beside Henry on his bed, a wide leather-bound book propped open between them. "Hey you're home!" After a beat of taking in Regina's appearance, her brows furrowed. "Regina are you okay?"

The older woman had a kind of wild look in her. Her chest was heaving as if she had ran, and her eyes were darting around dangerously. "What- what were you saying?"

Emma was puzzled. "Regina-"

"We're reading fairytales!" Henry of course, didn't notice that Regina was looking a bit paranoid, and instead just answered the question with a happy grin, pointing at the book.

The blonde saw that Regina nodded absently at Henry's answer, and decided to take action. Looking over at Henry, she said, "Hey kid, how about you keep on reading the book for a little while, I have to go talk to Regina about something, okay?"

Henry nodded fervently, grabbing the big tome as best as he could while Emma got up from the bed and made her way to the door. Regina was still in her same position, and Emma could bet a lot of money that the Mayor's heart was beating fast.

"Come on." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed the brunette's hand and led her towards Regina's room.

"Okay, what's eating at you? Did the meeting go that bad?"

Regina still hadn't spoken a word, and Emma was worried. She put her hands on Regina's shoulders, rubbing her arms gently. "Hey, come on, you can tell me."

"I- where did you find that book?" was what Regina finally managed to ground out.

Emma did a double take. That was not on her list of things she thought Regina would say to her. "Uhm, Henry found it actually. He said he saw it at the back of the laundry room. Why?"

"It- it just brings back bad memories."

Now Emma understood. "The crazy mother right? Look I can just tell Henry and give the book back so you can bury it in another remote dusty corner. I honestly didn't know Regina. I'm really sorry."

"No no, it's fine. I just, I was surprised to hear the words is all. Henry seems enamored with the book, I'd hate to part him from it."

Emma flashed a smile. "I swear woman, you spoil the kid."

Regina returned the smile in kind. It was hard to see the Mayor display that kind of sincerity while outside, since she usually kept the formal and professional Mayoral mask in place at all times. But at home she was a completely different person; more approachable and carefree.

"No but seriously, if the book is going to dredge up crappy memories for you, just say the word and I'll have the book confiscated okay?"

Regina sighed, shaking her head. "It's alright, really. It was more surprise than anything."

Emma accepted the answer and then remembered where the brunette had just come from. "Oh! So how was the meeting?"

The other woman instantly brightened. "It went excellent! I finally managed to put Spencer in his place."

"That's great, Regina!" Emma didn't wait for a response before she engulfed the other woman in a tight hug.

Neither woman made an attempt to move out of the embrace, just as neither of them would ever want to admit, at least not yet, that they enjoyed the hug very much.

* * *

"Henry! Come down for breakfast or you're going to be late for school!" Emma hated to holler so early in the morning, but it was clearly going to be one of those days that her kid would pull out all the stops to prevent going to school.

"Clearly your child inherited your penchant for early mornings." Regina smirked, sipping her coffee idly as Emma returned to the kitchen and plopped back into her seat.

The groan and glare she got in response made the brunette laugh.

"Clearly the attitude is a family thing too." She looked beyond where Emma was to see a sleepy Henry shuffling towards them. "Morning Henry."

She got a similar response from the young boy. "I rest my case."

Emma stuck her tongue out, and then turned to her son who was serving himself a hearty quantity of cereal. "Sleep well Henry?"

"Yeah. Hey mom, do you think fairytales are real?"

Neither woman was expecting such a question, and especially not so early. "Like, historically? Because I doubt that half the fairytale stories would make sense these days with modern technology."

Henry shook his head. "No just- do you think they could exist, outside of their stories, and in our world. Y'know, after their happily ever afters?"

Emma was confused on the line of questioning. Regina on the other hand wanted to disappear and hide far away.

Ever since Henry had found the storybook a year ago, he had become obsessed. He read it more than he read any other story, and up until recently, had always been requesting the stories read to him. Lately, ever since he finally finished reading it cover to cover, his curiosity had shifted over to what happened after the stories ended. Where did they go? Emma had entertained the questions as if they were normal 9 year-old curiosities.

But Regina felt like she was walking on glass. It'd have been fine if he just asked that of the butchered Disney versions, but this was specifically referring to the history Regina had lived through. She had no idea how exactly that book came to being, although she could guess who had orchestrated that one. If these questions kept up, she'd need to confront that imp to get to the bottom of this before it blew up in her face and destroyed the closest thing Regina has had to a family.

As Regina returned from her thoughts, she saw the two Swans debating the ever afters of stories. Regina felt bile rising in her throat, and the air becoming thin; she needed to get out of here. Gulping down the rest of her coffee, she said, "Sorry to cut this breakfast short, but I really must be getting to work. I'll see the two of you later okay?"

Emma smiled apologetically. She must think that the older woman had grown uncomfortable with their conversation based on the half truth Regina had fed the blonde about the book reminding her of Regina's mother. In reality, Regina was feeling nauseous at how quick her secret would be spilled if Henry started putting two and two together.

She went up to her room, quickly brushed her teeth and got dressed. She used all her willpower to not even remotely overhear what turn the conversation had taken. Regina felt trapped. Her need to talk to Gold increased every minute, but she willed herself to power through this with a smile.

Henry would grow out of this. Right?

* * *

Emma and Henry put their breakfast stuff away, and while Emma waited for her son to get dressed, she walked up to Regina who was putting on her jacket, ready to go out.

"Hey look, sorry about Henry. I know that the book's always been a sore subject for you-"

"It's fine, Emma, really." Regina faced Emma, coat neatly pressed, fitting her body perfectly as if it had been tailor-made.

The younger woman frowned. "You're lying, Regina. Not to mention that I saw your expression at breakfast while he was talking."

Regina sighed. "Very well. The- Henry talking about the book brings up memories of things I'd rather wish stayed buried. But" she saw Emma about to interrupt and went to beat her to the punch. "I refuse to let those memories get in the way of yours or Henry's happiness and lives."

"Sorry to disappoint, but you being miserable doesn't make me happy. It does the exact opposite."

Regina was shocked into silence. Emma couldn't even possibly begin to understand how much those words meant to her. It might seem like a small or meaningless comment, but to Regina, it meant the world. She wanted to hug the blonde, but kept her hands to herself, instead just flashing a timid smile and a "Thank you."

Emma shrugged with a smile. "Hey, it's what friends do, okay? I'll have a talk with Henry so that he can at least try and refrain from talking about it with you in the room, okay?"

Regina considered the options. On one hand that would lead to less situations with her heart leaping at her throat, but at the same time she wanted to know if things escalated, if her secret was threatening to spill. She made her decision. "It's fine Emma..."

"It can't be fine Regina." She heard Henry stomping down the stairs and sighed. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Regina just nodded, and smiled at seeing Henry arrive at the foyer. So much was at stake here, she needed to figure out her battle plan on how to deviate Henry from finding out the truth. Otherwise everything would be ruined, and Regina wasn't going to give up on this new life without a fight.

* * *

"What were you and Regina talking about?" Henry looked up at his mother, walking beside her as they made their way to school.

Emma sighed. Could she hope that a simple answer would deviate the conversation? She could try. "Your book."

Henry frowned, and looked up at his mother as he asked, "What about it?"

It clearly didn't work. "Look Henry, I know you love that book to pieces, but it brings up bad memories for Regina, so maybe you should try to keep your questions for another time? I know this is probably hard to wrap your head around-"

"It makes sense," Henry interrupted, and Emma could tell his gears were turning big time.

Emma glanced down at her kid with an eyebrow raised. "It does?"

"Yeah. It reminds her of her past as a fairytale character."

She did a double-take as she tried to process this. "What? No Henry, she's not a fairytale character-"

Once again Henry interrupted. "Yes she is!"

"Henry what have I told you about interrupting people?"

Henry at least had the decency to look bashful as he replied, "It's rude."

"Exactly." The two had stopped walking and Emma knelt in front of him as she said, "Look, Henry, fairytales aren't real. We're all real people who've had their ups and downs, Regina being one of them. Her mom was a mean lady who gave that book to Regina when she was a kid and now she associates that book with the bad memories of her mom."

Henry shook his head. "No, it's because she's the Evil Queen."

Emma didn't know if she wanted to gape or admonish Henry for his rudeness. She settled for the latter. "Henry Swan! In case you don't remember, we're living here, in that _very_ big mansion, because of Regina's generosity. Last I checked, an Evil Queen wouldn't do that kind of thing. I want you to promise me you'll never say something like that again, especially in front of her, understood?"

"But it's the truth!"

Emma willed herself to be patient as she worked through this. "How could you possibly think that Henry? Has she ever been rude to you?"

The young boy shook his head. "But she looks like her."

The first image that came to her was of the Disney version. She tried to equate that Evil Queen to the Regina she knew and snorted in laughter. "Kid, they look nothing alike."

In a move that made him seem a lot older than he was, he huffed and rolled his eyes, removing the backpack from its position behind him. He took out the book in question, and expertly flipped to a page, turning it to face her. "See?"

Emma had to hand it to the kid, he did see the resemblance. But try as she might she couldn't place the evil smirk in the picture in the face of the kind woman. "Henry, physical resemblance doesn't mean she's the character. If you saw the actor for Harry Potter out on the street, would you expect him to whip out a wand and yell out, _Wingardium Leviosa_?"

He shook his head. "He's not a fairytale character. But this _is_ her! I'm sure of it! Everyone in this town is in the book!"

Emma let out a laugh. "Come on kid, we have to get you to school otherwise Ms. Blanchard won't be happy."

"She's Snow White" Henry said as soon as he caught up to her, book once more stuffed inside his backpack, straps around his shoulders.

"Oh really? Who else is here?" Emma decided to at least entertain him partially.

"Well Ruby is Red Riding Hood, Granny is her Granny-"

"Okay kid, I get it, you think everyone here is in your book. But humor me for a bit. If Regina was the Evil Queen, why would she be kind to us? Last I checked, Evil Queens didn't offer up their homes to a random woman and her newborn child."

"She feels guilty."

Henry's response felt so simple that Emma wondered if perhaps this theory of his had been formed well in advance. He seemed more prepared for this than some politicians seemed at debates. "Guilty about what?"

"About destroying your life."

Emma was now totally confused. "Henry, I will repeat myself again. Regina's been super kind to us ever since we came here, nine years ago. How in the world did she destroy my life?"

"Making you grow up alone without your parents."

This conversation was taking a drastic turn, one she'd rather not have with her child. The only people who knew about her full past were Regina and Archie, she wasn't even sure how Henry knew about this. "Henry Swan, listen to me. I want you to drop this theory of yours right this instant, and never mention it again, am I clear?"

Once again, her ultimatum went unheeded as Henry plowed on. "You don't understand, it's all part of her curse!"

Emma had read the stories in the book to know what he was talking about. "The one where she sends everyone to go live out the rest of their lives in misery? This is where you think she sent them?"

Henry nodded. "It is! They've been cursed, but ever since we got here, the curse has weakened!"

"Henry, how could you possibly know if that is true or not? You were 3 months old when we got here."

"Because you're the Savior!"

"I'm the what now?" Emma shook her head, glad to see the school in the distance. "Henry, I'm the Sheriff, I'm no Savior."

"Yes you are! It's in the book!"

"Henry, I'm not in any book!"

"Not officially, but you're Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter."

"Am not!"

"Are too! Her name is Emma and everything!"

"Enough!" Emma stopped and grabbed Henry's arm, not roughly, but enough to get him to turn and face her. "Drop this, Henry, okay? I know this might seem fun to you, but it's hurtful. Growing up without parents isn't an enjoyable experience, and it's certainly not something you want to be poking fun at. You also can't accuse people of looking like Evil Queens, so I want you to stop talking about that theory of yours, understood?"

Henry nodded meekly. "Yes mom."

"Good, and just for measure, you're grounded for a week."

"Oh come on!"

Before Emma could say anything, the bell rang. "We'll talk about it later, now you have to get to class!"

The young boy ran off as fast as his legs could carry him.

Emma had a lot on her plate, and she needed to talk to someone about it. Turning on her heel, she headed to the diner.

* * *

**Wow! Lot's of things covered here huh? I really wanted to get to the part where we see that Henry has been able to work out that the book's characters are living breathing people living beside him.**

**As you can tell I've obviously changed the origin of how the book got into his hands, but I felt this was more appropriate. I'm going to keep to the timeline of the story in terms of age, so the curse would only be broken after Emma's 28th birthday, so we've got a while to go!**

**I hope this wasn't rushed or felt out of sorts in any way, I will be dealing more with Emma and Regina's relationship in the next chapter, so stick around for that!**

**Reviews are always welcome and appreciated! Let me know if there's anything you want me to focus on or explain!**

**Next fic I'll be updating is In Sickness and In Health so keep an eye out for it!**


	3. The Reason

**And I'm back with more from this fic! Henry seems to be cottoning on to the situation in Storybrooke, while Emma is completely dumbfounded as to what the heck her kid put on his cereal that morning.**

**Without further ado, this chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Do you have a minute?" Emma asked, sitting down on one of the stools in front of the counter at Granny's.

Ruby flashed a grin. "When haven't I? So spill, what's up?"

"Henry. He's...kind of lost it? Or ate some really bad cereal."

Ruby frowned, walking around the counter to sit on a stool beside her friend. Breakfast rush was over so the diner was empty save for a few stragglers, leaving the two women to talk comfortably. "Are we talking crushing on someone, or starting that rebellious phase early?"

"Neither...you know that fairytale book he's obsessed with?"

Ruby nodded. Who didn't. He had made it a point to show it to anyone who would listen to him, carrying it around everywhere despite the fact that it was such a huge tome.

"Well, now he's convinced that everyone in this town is a fairytale character from that book," Emma looked exasperated. Sure everyone told her parenting would be hard – the fact that she herself had no parents from where she could guide herself didn't help, but this wasn't a tantrum or a fever. That she could handle. This was on a whole other level and she had no idea from where to start tackling or deconstructing this.

"Like he actually thinks those characters are people walking around all la-dee-da?" Ruby had to resist snorting in laughter. It was clear Emma wasn't finding this a joking matter, but the waitress found it equal parts hilarious and adorable. Little kids had such wild imaginations.

"Yeah. You're Red Riding Hood."

Ruby blinked, and smiled. "Must be the red in my hair." She flipped her hair, making sure her highlights were visible. Seeing that the blonde only gave a measly smile for her quip, she sighed, placing her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "I wouldn't stress over it too much Em, every single kid goes through that. I vaguely remember being convinced at one time I was part wolf, because I was a fast runner and had a good nose."

"I hope you're right Rubes, but he freaking called Regina the Evil Queen."

The waitress' eyes bugged out. "To her face? How is he still alive?"

Here Emma smiled a bit wider. "No not to her face. Plus you know she has a soft spot for the kid. But seriously, how could he say that about her! Regina's been nothing but generous..."

"Did he explain why?"

"Yeah: she looks like the Evil Queen image in his book." Emma deadpanned. "I mean, sure there is a resemblance, but still, this is the woman that practically gave me and Henry free housing when I had nothing, and how does he repay her? He calls her evil."

Ruby flinched. "Yikes, that's harsh. Better hope she doesn't find out about it."

"Well I gotta explain somehow that Henry's grounded... got any ideas?"

Ruby thought about it for a moment. "Say that someone else was the Evil Queen?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You really think Regina's going to buy that for a moment?"

"Good point. Maybe you can ease her into it? I'm sure that after 9 years, Regina will understand that he's not _really_ calling her evil?"

"I hope so." Emma sighed, sinking her head onto her arms. "I'll try to enlist Archie for help."

"With advice on what to tell Regina, or as a shrink?"

The blonde looked up and grimaced. "Both?"

The waitress' eyes flitted to the door and then back to her friend. "Well you're in luck, he's coming in right now."

As Emma turned, the door opened, causing the bell to jingle, and Archie came inside.

"Mornin' Archie, your usual?"

"Yes please Ruby." Archie smiled as he walked over to the counter. Ruby left her seat and went to prepare the order for the town's psychiatrist.

Emma decided that there was no time like the present. "Hey Archie."

The bespectacled man turned and nodded to her, his smile growing a bit wider. "Morning Sheriff." He saw that it looked like Emma wanted to ask something, so he made his way to sit beside her. "You seem like you've got something on your mind."

"Yeah...would you consider it a kid's thing if he all of a sudden started thinking the town was inhabited with fairytale characters?"

Archie's smile faltered as his face morphed into one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Emma sighed, looking down at her hands. "I'm not even sure. I want to hope that this is just my motherly instincts going into overdrive, but I'm being thrown in a loop."

Archie hummed. "How about we talk this over at my office?"

The blonde nodded. Ruby came back with the coffee and bagel order. Emma thanked Ruby and promised the brunette that she'd call her with any updates later.

The Sheriff and psychiatrist walked outside, crossing the street to Archie's office. Once inside, Pongo came bounding up to Emma, and she scratched him behind the ears, earning a very content smile from the dalmatian.

After they settled into the couches, Archie prepared his notepad and pen, turning to Emma expectantly. "So, you mentioned fairytale characters, whether it was a kid's thing, and your motherly instincts. Is this about Henry?"

She nodded. "I mean, Henry's been obsessed with that book for the past year and a bit, but out of the blue, he's now thinking that people in town are fairytale characters."

Archie's brows furrowed. "Like Snow White and Prince Charming are actually living here?"

"Yeah, that's Mary Margaret. Hasn't mentioned a Prince Charming yet though. Ruby - she's Red Riding Hood supposedly - said it was just a kid's thing, but..."

He saw that Emma had more to say, so he said nothing. Sometimes people just needed a few minutes to collect their thoughts before continuing, rather than a push.

"I can't help but have this sinking feeling in my gut that it's more than just his overactive imagination. He's had obsessions before, but this is the first time he's actually bringing other people into it without asking. Usually he asks if they want to be part of his adventures, and I'm afraid he's going to end up hurting people."

"Physically or mentally?" Archie doubted the adorable child had an evil bone in his body to be able to do the former, but if there was one thing he knew, was to never assume a situation.

"Oh no, mentally. He...he thinks Regina is the Evil Queen." Emma mumbled the last part, but Archie's trained ears caught on.

So that was the root of Emma's worries. He knew that the Sheriff and Mayor had a very cozy arrangement, and he commended Emma for being able to bring out a whole new side to their frigid Mayor. She was much more approachable and friendlier since the Swans had made 108 Mifflin Street their home. Although Regina was now much kinder, it was still hidden behind a facade of detachment that spoke volumes about the Mayor being reserved about who she shared her smiles with. Knowing that Emma was within that exclusive group, he could guess that having the woman she owed everything to being so depreciated by Henry was worrying Emma.

He knew all about Emma's situation, having been the one who helped her to be confident in her abilities to raise Henry when she came to him one day more than 9 years ago, about a week after she had settled into Storybrooke. She had confided in him about her worries and fears, and about not wanting to upset the woman she was living with. Archie helped her face those fears and grow from them, assuring her that she would be able to raise Henry and give him a good childhood, as well as become a good friend with the Mayor. And he had been right.

"I can see how that could be a problem," he said after a few minutes of thinking. "Does she know about this?"

Emma shook her head. "Not about the Evil Queen thing, but she knows about the book; it was hers actually, Henry found it in the basement in the laundry room. The book... it's not exactly a good memory for Regina, but she powered on knowing that Henry loved it so much." Of course Emma wasn't going to explain the book in relation to Regina's crazy mother, since she knew it'd be a breach of the other woman's privacy. Plus it wasn't her story to tell.

"I see, have you at least tried to talk to him about it and explain how it could be hurtful?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but he had to go to school so it wasn't that much of a conversation. I did ground him for it, but I have no idea what to tell Regina! How do I tell her that the kid she's been housing and raising as practically her own is calling her the Evil Queen? I mean I could just tell her a white lie, but nothing sounds believable."

"Well, I would advise against lying. Nothing good can come out of it, and in your case, your unique relationship was built on trust. you trusted Regina to altruistically share her home with you, and letting her raise Henry with you. She needs to be able to trust you too, since from what I know, the Mayor isn't quick to trust, and it's much harder to build trust once it's been broken."

"But if it's to prevent her from heartache and sadness, a lie would be alright though, right? I mean, why would I want to purposely inflict this on her." Emma looked up at Archie with pleading eyes. Despite having matured a lot in the past nine years, he still saw her as the distraught teen that showed up at his door at 2am in the middle of a rainstorm, desperately seeking help.

"How about this. You bring Henry here after school and I'll have a talk with him about this. Afterwards, I will tell you what I think, and we can resolve this together, sound good?"

Emma nodded vigorously. She got up from the couch and went to give Archie a crushing hug. He was the closest to a father figure that she'd ever had, giving her advice throughout the years on how to deal with complicated topics. She knew the psychiatrist would never judge her, something she was immensely grateful for.

* * *

Henry pushed open the doors of the school, and looked around. Seeing his mother there, he ran towards her with a big grin of his face.

"Hey mom!" he greeted once he reached her.

"Hey kid, how was school?"

"Pretty good," Henry shrugged. "Are we going to Granny's?"

Emma sighed, and crouched in front of her son. "Look Henry, we didn't get to finish talking this morning, but I wanted you to go talk to Archie about the whole fairytale thing."

She had been expecting reluctance, but never what Henry had responded with. "Because he's Jiminy Cricket?"

The blonde blinked, making sure her hearing hadn't gone haywire. "What?"

"Archie. He's the cricket from Pinocchio."

Of course, this had to tie back to his theory. "Yeah, sure...I know it seems weird-"

"It's a brilliant idea mom! He can give me advice on how to break the curse!"

Emma took a deep breath, hoping she had enough patience to deal with this. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Henry grinned and started walking towards Main Street. Emma kept pace beside him, wondering if the right thing was to curb this obsession before it got too far, or if she should entertain it until he worked it out of his system and grew out of it.

* * *

Half an hour later and Henry came bounding into the diner, with Archie trailing behind him. While Henry was ordering a snack, Emma followed Archie to the back of the diner, and turned expectantly to see what he would say.

"He definitely has a very active imagination," Archie opened with, giving a small chuckle.

Emma hummed in response, a light smile gracing her features.

"As for the fairytale thing...I think I can guess to the cause of it," Archie continued.

She perked up instantly at that, looking at him intently. "Really? What is it?"

"What's the one thing that's always found in fairytales?"

"I don't know...magic?" Emma really didn't want to play guessing games, she just wanted to know what was going through the mind of her 9-year old son.

"What else?" he egged her on.

"Good versus evil? There's a lot of tropes and archetypes in fairytales, Archie."

The man sighed, and responded for her. "Love. True Love being the most powerful thing of all. All these stories have them, promising a bright future for the hero with a loved one and the possibility of a family."

Emma nodded slowly. "And what does that have to do with Henry? He wants to find a 'true love'? The kid is nine!"

Archie shook his head. "Not for himself. For _you_."

She blinked, trying to make sure she understood correctly. "My son is trying to find _me_ a true love? He told you this?"

"Not explicitly, but it's not hard to connect the dots. As you are the protagonist in his story, being the Saviour, the most logical outcome would be that you destroy the curse, bringing back everyone's happy endings, including yours. And since the hero always finds romance and sometimes also a family, it's safe to say Henry wants you to find just that."

Emma shakes her head, trying to make sense of this entire nonsense. "But why would Henry want to do that? Like does he think that I want this?"

"Have you ever indicated that you were interested in someone, or perhaps, mentioning the want for a family?"

"No, he doesn't even know that I was abandoned. He knows that neither Regina nor I have parents, but not why. Plus you know I haven't dated anyone since coming here."

Archie smiled. "Of course, but you can still yearn."

Emma threw him a look. "I don't yearn."

He put his hands up in a placating gesture. "If you say so. But you don't need to have explicitly mentioned it. Children are very perceptive. I'm sure he has asked for his father, and grandparents, seeing your reaction."

Emma tightened her jaw. "Don't tell me he thinks that _bastard_ will somehow make his way back into our lives and that I'll accept him with open arms?"

Archie shook his head. "Not at all, but perhaps he's looking at someone else that can fulfill the role of a second parent. Someone that perhaps is already unofficially filling that spot?"

She squinted, puzzled at what the shrink was insinuating. "Regina? Henry wants Regina and I to become a family?"

"I think he already considers her to be family. When I asked him earlier about family, Henry included Regina in it quite easily."

"But I thought she was supposed to be the Evil Queen, you know, the one who cast the curse and that I supposedly must defeat in order to break that curse?"

Once more he shook his head. "Not specifically. Hence why I mentioned that Henry has a very active imagination. What better epic fairytale than having the Saviour and the Evil Queen falling for each other? Good and evil joining forces to break the curse."

Emma gave a lopsided smile. "You don't actually believe in the curse thing right?"

Archie turned to look back at the diner. Seeing Henry busy chatting with Ruby, he looked back at Emma. "Not _that_ specific curse. But I do believe the actual curse Henry is talking about is the lack of 'happy endings' as he sees it. You see, kids want to see their fairy tales come to life. They believe that magic exists. Seeing the immediate people in his life: you, Regina, Ms. Blanchard, and Ruby to name some, all without what he classifies as a happy ending, he's bound to get ideas."

She nodded slowly, seeing where he was coming from. "So all I have to do is fall for someone and the 'curse' will be broken?"

"I don't think it works exactly like that." Archie grimaces, adding, "From what Henry said, I think he expects something akin to this incredible light show to happen the minute the curse breaks."

"Okay so I'll time a fireworks show to go off the minute I kiss someone," Emma shrugs like it was no big deal.

Archie chuckles but still shakes his head. "I would be careful with how you handle his belief system. It's clear that, instead of seeing the world as it is, he believes there has to be something more, because, and I quote, 'that can't be all there is.' If you try to fake the end of the curse, and he finds out, he might not take lightly to it."

"Oh come on, he believes in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. It's basically the same thing. He believes in something magical and Regina and I do our best to keep his belief going, like any parent does for their kid."

"I wouldn't say it's the exact same thing. Here he is taking real people and putting them up to a fictional counterpart. It's much more different than a faceless and vague fictional entity." Archie thought for a bit before trying another tactic to explain. "It's like finding an external reason to explain some sort of psychological event. So instead of dealing with nerves, you create a stomach ache, and therefore it becomes something you can deal with. For Henry, it's much like that. He doesn't know how to give real world people happy endings, especially yours. So what does he do? He makes them into fairytale characters, and all of a sudden, he knows how to give everyone their happy endings, find them their true love, and everything will be solved."

Emma snorted. "Easier said than done. If only finding true love were that easy."

He smiles at the quip, nodding. "But for a child, it is much easier. It's like adding 1 + 1."

"So what should I do?"

That is the million dollar question. "I'd say to let him be with it. Right now, it's a harmless fantasy, not much different than when he was simply obsessed with the book. If it does escalate, then we can see what to do."

"What about Regina?"

"Well I believe telling the truth is always the best solution, but the choice is up to you. I'm sure you'll know what's best to do."

Emma let out a deep breath, and nodded. "Thanks Archie. How much do I owe you for this one?"

He shook his head. "It's on the house. I'm doing this as a friend more than a psychiatrist. You needed help and guidance, charging you would be wrong."

Emma thanked him once again and went back out to where her son had been obliviously eating a muffin and drinking his hot chocolate, with cinnamon of course.

"Hey Ruby, can you watch Henry for a bit longer? I need to go talk to Regina."

"Sure thing Em."

"I'll be back in a bit kid." Emma kissed Henry's forehead, earning an exclamation from the child who saw himself as too cool for kisses from his mom, and she left for Town Hall.

Now she just had to figure out what in the world she was going to tell Regina.

* * *

**And the plot moves forward!**

**Henry's playing matchmaker, and Emma has to decide what she's going to tell Regina.**

**What do you think? Emma tells Regina the truth, or not?**

**Also, Archie and Emma's talk from nine years ago will be featured in the next chapter, so you guys'll be able to read all about it! And before anyone asks, I have absolutely no knowledge of professional psychology or had any training, so if there are any mistakes with what Archie said or recommended, I'm truly sorry. **

**Now I'm going to go update In Sickness and In Health and then I'll see if I'm going to update The Things We've Lost, or work on one-shots.**

**But anyway, as always, I love hearing your thoughts, so don't be shy in reviewing!**


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